The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of distributed physical devices, such as vehicles and sensors, that exchange data over the network. With the proliferation of IoT networks, sensor data comprises information regarding a number of diverse physical variables. Such information is useful for a wide range of applications, such as surveillance and other law enforcement applications, medical monitoring, transportation monitoring, habitat monitoring, factory control, and pipeline integrity.
A number of IoT management frameworks exist for managing devices that generate and process sensor data. As society grows increasingly dependent on such sensor data, the proper management and reliability of the gathered sensor data also becomes important. Sensors may malfunction and report incorrect values, potentially impairing the reliability of the gathered sensor data. A failing thermostat, for example, may report an incorrect temperature value, or no temperature value at all.
A need exists for techniques for detecting malfunctioning sensors in a multi-sensor IoT environment.